Games are full of maths and are ideal to get kids thinking mathematically. But don’t just leave it to the computer console, play games that involve rolling dice and ask questions like: “How many do you have to roll if you want to land here?” In Monopoly ask them to count the money.

DO: Sneak in maths

Saying: “Let’s do sums” is likely to make most children want to run a mile. So sneak it in casually. As you pack the shopping, ask: “If the bread is 84p and the milk 33p, how much are they together?”

DO: Make it hands-on

Remember the three Cs of everyday maths: cash, clocks and cooking. All are perfect for practising maths. It’s all about including them: “I make it 11.30, what do you make it?” or “This cake tin has three rows and four columns, how many cakes will it hold? ”

DON’T: Expect them to get it after you explain it once

Don’t even expect them to get it after you’ve explained it 50 times. It can take a long time for the penny to drop and for maths to become second nature. They may know 7 times 7 is 49 today, but tomorrow when the question crops up in a different context, they may not. That’s normal. Remember it took you years of practice to know as much as you do now.

DON’T: Tell them you are hopeless at maths

It’s common for adults to say: “I was always terrible at maths.” Saying it to kids carries a dangerous message: “I am a successful adult now anyway, so being good at maths wasn’t that important.”

DON’T: Praise them for just being smart or quick

Instead, compliment them for the effort they put in. The important thing is that they want to keep learning even if they don’t get it right today. When they get the wrong answers, it’s also tempting to just tell them they’ve made a mistake. Instead ask them how they worked it out and help them to spot where they made the errors.

HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN

As a mum, most opportunities you have to talk maths with your child will be at home. Having certain things around house will boost the chance of it cropping up in conversation.

● A family bar of chocolate

Divided into squares it’s a tasty way to explain fractions.

● A thermometer

Use indoor and outdoor models to tell the temperature. In winter, the outdoor one helps kids get the idea of minus numbers.

● A dartboard

Darts teaches adding and subtracting. If you’re worried about safety invest in a Velcro board.

● A big clock in the kitchen

If you have a digital clock AND a traditional clock you can compare times on both – it helps them understand seconds, minutes and hours better.

● A traditional wall calendar

Calendars are a good way to teach kids to count days and can also help with the seven times table – they are usually organised in rows of seven.

● Board games Play games with dice and spinners. They help with counting.

● A pack of traditional playing cards

Try snap and blackjack as card games are a natural way to learn about sorting and counting.

● Dried beans, macaroni or Smarties

See how many are left over if you scoop a large handful and divide them between twos and threes and so on.

● A tape measure and ruler

Involve your child when measuring for furniture or new curtains. If you hold the zero end, they have to read the result.

● Fridge magnets

Leave a question like 7x9=? on the fridge to be solved when the kids come down to have breakfast.

HOW TO BEAT YOUR FEAR OF MATHS

Realise you’re better at maths than you think

Many mums tend to downplay how good they really are with numbers. Most mums probably do lots more maths than they realise – from comparing prices on the internet to managing the budget every month. It’s just that they don’t call it maths… they call it “common sense”.

Don’t be terrified of being found out

The emphasis in maths today is just as much about finding out as it is about coming up with the right answer.

If your child gets the right answer, let them tell you how they did it.

And don’t try to be the expert who can do no wrong in front of your children.

It’s also fine to get it wrong and then correct yourself or ask kids to spot your error so they know even parents aren’t perfect. They will also be less afraid to give it a try.

Get used to the new methods

Many mums get stressed about helping with maths homework because the way kids are taught has changed so much in recent years.

They end up confusing their children with the old way of doing it – and it all ends in tears.

Remember today’s methods are more about team-work and investigation. Don’t be blinded by the new jargon.

Some are just new names for old techniques – all developed to make maths easier.